Obama uses Thanksgiving radio address to call for bipartisanship

[Bluebear]

n yet another acknowledgment of Democrats' recent drubbing and the tectonic political shift in Washington, President Obama used much of his Thanksgiving morning radio address to call for bipartisanship in tackling the country's persistent economic ails.

Just a day after expressing relief that he had prevented another November "shellacking" by sending two pardoned turkeys to live out their days at the Mount Vernon home of George Washington, the nation's 44th president argued that neither party could achieve meaningful economic change on its own.

Citing the urgency to "accelerate this recovery," Obama declared: "But we won't do it as one political party. We've got to do it as one people. And, in the coming weeks and months, I hope we can work together, Democrats and Republicans and independents alike, to make progress on these and other issues."

The president told his listeners about a scheduled White House meeting next week with congressional leaders from both parties, a get-together already delayed once, and one intended, he said, to yield "a real and honest discussion." Thorny discussions await on matters including whether to permit Bush-era tax cuts to expire for the wealthy and consideration of the START nuclear treaty. In a reference to the challenges of navigating the divide, Obama said, "I believe that if we stop talking at one another, and start talking with one another, we can get a lot done."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/25/AR2010112501060.html?hpid=topnews

[BrklynLiberal]

1. ......Here we go again....

[Toucano]

2. Reach across the aisle.

There just hasn't been enough of that. No, sir. That's what's been missing in Washington.

Democrats reach across the aisle and get sucked into an abyss or else pull back a bloodied stump.

[emulatorloo]

3. DUPE - a couple pages in, I will get you the link in a second (also on Greatest)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4629060

[bigtree]

4. that horrible, horrible man

. . . expressing hope that we can all work together.

Just horrible. :eyes:

[Bobbieo]

5. That's riight - Kiss the ass of the people who hate your guts!

[emulatorloo]

7. He's calling on Republicans to start acting Bi-Partisan, No ass kissing there.

[uppityperson]

9. Calling on repubs to act bipartisan is killing their ass?

[Forkboy]

22. No, but expecting them to do so is the height of naivete.

[laughingliberal]

45. While ignoring a lot of those who voted for you. nt

[eridani]

6. What planet hat you been on for the last 2 years?

Not one single Repuke vote for the stimulus plan, even though he watered it down so much it was far less effective than it could have been.

Reading the WaPo article really makes me sick.

[bigtree]

11. you mean despite all of the 'bipartisan' talk, he forged ahead successfully without republican help?

Do tell.

[eridani]

21. If you count compromising legislation to attract Repuke votes and not getting any--

--"success," go for it.

[bigtree]

24. stimulus bill=success

. . . ask the between 1.4 million and 3.6 million folks who got work in the third quarter of this year as a result of the stimulus bill.

November 24, 2010

(Reuters) - The massive U.S. stimulus package, widely panned by voters, injected life into the otherwise-sluggish economy between July and September, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act put between 1.4 million and 3.6 million to work in the third quarter of this year, a time when more than 15 million Americans were unemployed, CBO said.

It also boosted national output by between 1.4 percent and 4.1 percent during that time, the CBO said.

The CBO's estimates have consistently shown that the $814 billion package of tax cuts, state aid, construction spending and enhanced safety-net provisions has blunted the impact of the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s.


http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/11/24/business/business-us-usa-economy-stimulus.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=print

[eridani]

26. Why so easily satisfied? Without tax cuts and credits, it would have done three times as much

What was the point of spending so much of it uselessly?

[Tesha]

29. And if you count the largest electoral defeat in quite a long time as success, yeah, ...

...then he's been tremendously successful. And he'll be successful
again in 2012!

Tesha

[democracy1st]

42. along with dismantling the 50 state strategy and no liberals on your economic team tells me

everything i should know about this pres and his admin.

[laughingliberal]

46. I think the point is policy was pushed to the right and rendered less effective & did not result...

in Republicans lending any of their votes.

[uppityperson]

8. Indeed. And I wish the Repubs would listen to him vs automatically discounting/blocking him.

[TBF]

12. How are you going to respond when Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are

cut as part of that "work together" strategy?

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bigtree]

19. that's a cut-and-paste argument

. . . without any evidence at all that the President is going to accept ANY of the panel's recommendations; much less possibility, I think of him accepting any of the controversial ones. They'd be DOA in the Senate and he knows this as well as anyone.

[TBF]

38. Obama is the person who chose the panel, correct? nt

[laughingliberal]

47. Well, we'll see. I don't understand appointing 2 well known haters of the New Deal to head your...

commission unless this was exactly what you were going for.

In fact, I don't see ceding that kind of ground to the deficit hawks by creating the commission to begin with unless you're in agreement with them.

[uppityperson]

20. How are you going to respond when aliens take over our planet?

IF SS and Medicare/aid were cut, I am sure most of us would speak out against that before and after it happened.

[Forkboy]

23. I think you're wrong on the "before" part.

I'm sure many would care afterwards, when it's safe and fashionable.

[pnorman]

30. "..when aliens take over our planet?"

By declaring a State of Emergency! (No further comment is needed)

[TBF]

39. So you approve of his panel our president has created? Do you

approve of their recommendations? If not why are you defending him and not speaking out?

[blindpig]

59. There's that river in Egypt again...

Working together to screw the working class is the only thing that will come out of that.

[tularetom]

10. Sigh - the man's a glutton for punishment

[pgodbold]

14. Captain Bipartisan!.... ARGH! Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

15. 18 years of embracing far-right principles has worked so well for Democrats

Why stop now?

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. Indeed. Worked well for "we The People" too. :^(

[laughingliberal]

48. Indeed. nt

[JanMichael]

17. When the mouse keeps biting the the same block of electrofied cheese...

...and is given other non-shocking alternatives but ignores them...and keeps getting shocked over and over again...that's a stupid mouse.

Good luck with the cheese.

[XemaSab]

18. "Please, sir, may I have another?"

n/t

[glinda]

25. oh crud

[Starry Messenger]

27. No wait, everything is going to be fine!!11

Let's see if I can get into the Truman Show mentality of some DUers here. Just a little adjustment...ok, there! Wow, I feel so optimistic without any basis in reality or observation of established patterns! This is so freeing! It's like being a little kid and running around in your underwear!! :sarcasm:

[Buns_of_Fire]

28. To quote a Great American, Rocket J. Squirrel: "Again?"

"That trick never works!"
:banghead:

[LWolf]

36. +1

[Bluebear]

43. +1 and

:spray:

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

32. bullshit

Somebody needs to whack him upside his bipartisan stupor and tell him to 'SNAP OUT OF IT!'

He cannot BE more wrong.

[Canuckistanian]

33. Thanks, Obama

I think we got the message already.

[Rowdyboy]

34. He's reduced his office to a joke....and not a funny one

[ProSense]

35. Wonderful address

Video: Weekly Address: Giving Thanks for Those Who Serve

Weekly Address: President Obama Delivers Thanksgiving Greeting

WASHINGTON – During this holiday season, President Obama used his weekly address to give thanks for the blessings of America, in particular that distinctly American impulse to give something of ourselves and do what is required to make tomorrow better than today. With that sense of determination and sacrifice, America has built a powerful economy, stood against tyranny, fought for equality, and connected the globe with our own science and imagination. And by working together as one people – as Americans -- we can overcome the challenges currently facing our nation.

Today, like millions of other families across America, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and I will sit down to share a Thanksgiving filled with family and friends – and a few helpings of food and football, too. And just as folks have done in every Thanksgiving since the first, we’ll spend some time taking stock of what we’re thankful for: the God-given bounty of America, and the blessings of one another.

This is also a holiday that captures that distinctly American impulse to give something of ourselves. Even as we speak, there are countless Americans serving at soup kitchens and food pantries; contributing to their communities; and standing guard around the world.

And in a larger sense, that’s emblematic of what Americans have always done. We come together and do what’s required to make tomorrow better than today. That’s who we are.

Consider our journey since that first Thanksgiving. We are among the world’s youngest of peoples, but time and again, we have boldly and resiliently led the way forward. Against tough odds, we are a people who endure – who explored and settled a vast and untamed continent; who built a powerful economy and stood against tyranny in all its forms; who marched and fought for equality, and connected a globe with our own science and imagination.

None of that progress was predestined. None of it came easily. Instead, the blessings for which we give thanks today are the product of choices made by our parents, and grandparents, and generations before – whose determination and sacrifice ensured a better future for us.

This holiday season, we must resolve once more to do the same.

This is not the hardest Thanksgiving America has ever faced. But as long as many members of our American family are hurting, we’ve got to look out for one another. As long as many of our sons and daughters and husbands and wives are at war, we’ve got to support their mission and honor their service. And as long as many of our friends and neighbors are looking for work, we’ve got to do everything we can to accelerate this recovery and keep our economy moving forward.

And we will. But we won’t do it as any one political party. We’ve got to do it as one people. And in the coming weeks and months, I hope that we can work together, Democrats and Republicans and Independents alike, to make progress on these and other issues.

That’s why, next week, I’ve invited the leadership of both parties to the White House for a real and honest discussion – because I believe that if we stop talking at one another, and start talking with one another, we can get a lot done.

For what we are called to do again today isn’t about Democrats or Republicans. It’s not about left or right. It’s about us. It’s about what we know this country is capable of. It’s about what we want America to be in this new century.

A vibrant nation that makes sure its children are the best-educated in the world. A healthy, growing economy that runs on clean energy and creates the jobs of tomorrow. A responsible government that reduces its deficits. An America where every citizen is able to go as far as he or she desires.

We can do all this, because we’ve done it before. We’re made of the same sturdy stuff as the travelers who sat down to the first Thanksgiving, and all who came after – who worked, and sacrificed, and invested, because they believed that their efforts would make the difference for us.

That’s who we are. We shape our own destiny with conviction, compassion, and clear and common purpose. We honor our past and press forward with the knowledge that tomorrow will be better than today. We are Americans. That’s the vision we won’t lose sight of. That’s the legacy that falls to our generation. That’s the challenge that together, we are going to meet.

To every American, I am thankful for the privilege of being your President. To all our service members stationed around the world, I am honored to be your Commander-in-Chief. And from the Obama family to yours, have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you.

The MSM will use every issue to try to drive people crazy. It might just work.

When are people going to realize that the President is not going to stop calling for bipartisanship?

[avaistheone1]

44. When is Obama going to realize it is not working for him?

I suggest he review the following quote, and reevaluate his actions.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Albert Einstein





:kick:

[laughingliberal]

49. I disagree. I think it's working great for him. Lots of center right crap getting shoved through.

Who it's not working for is people out here trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

[ProSense]

53. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

That goes for making the same complaint over and over again. When has a President ever called on a Congress to split? In other words, what would be the purpose of saying that Congress shouldn't work together?

People seem to be confusing the theater of calling out Republicans in the media, which he has done many times, with getting things done in Congress, which is the call for its members to work together.

Those are the President's two objectives: 1) calling out Republican obstructionism and 2) calling on Congress to work together.

It's not either or.

[dflprincess]

62. I'm beginning to think Obama has a short term memory problem

as he doesn't seem able to recall that the Republicans have said again and again that they will not cooperate.

[Flubadubya]

57. What you need to realize is that people DO realize he is not...

going to stop calling for bipartisanship and they also realize (and rightly so) that this is a dismal FAIL! :thumbsdown:

[Exultant Democracy]

37. There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably Tennessee, that says

Fool me once , shame on…shame on you. Fool me. You can't get fooled again.

[donheld]

40. It's like an old fashion stuck record

[somone]

41. WTF

[sabrina 1]

50. He reminds me of a parent whose child consistently throws

temper tantrums, and their ineffective response is 'please honey, don't do that, it's not nice and I know you don't really want to do it. Pleeeeeeeeeeese can you listen to mommy just this one time, baby? I'll buy you a lollipop? No, you don't want a lollipop? Okay then, what can mommy get for you dear?' Child learns that mommy is weak and that this is one great way to get her to do what he wants.

Effective parent in same situation: 'I'm going to count to three. If you are not on your feet and acting like a sane human being by the time I get to three you cannot imagine what mommy has in store in for you, darling. Now, one, two .... ' Child realizes this is not working, and the fear of the unknown in the implied threat along with the no nonsense sound of his mommy's voice, causes him to rethink kicking and screaming as a tactic with this particular mother. End of temper tantrum.

Someone please talk to this president. Even if he's doing it hoping the people will see how reasonable he is and how unreasonable they are. It isn't working. All the people see is that they win, they get their way. They appear strong, Democrats appear to be begging, weak. Stop it, please!

[McCamy Taylor]

51. Has the Democratic Party been turned into a bunch of battered children who keep hoping

that our abusive siblings in the other party will one day realize how good we are and stop beating/starving/sexually abusing us if only we smile and never complain and always keep a sunny outlook like Shirley Temple?

Pardon me while I go scream in the corner.

[bvar22]

52. "Calling for Bi-Partisanship" is just the marketing Cover Story....

...for lurching ever further to The Right....
and getting NOTHING in return.

[Individualist]

64. Correct!

[hobbit709]

54. You can only turn the other cheek so many times.

[Flubadubya]

55. What was that definition of insanity again?

Oh yeah, trying the same thing time after time and expecting a different result. Mr. President, get this straight... IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!

You just keep floggin' that old dead horse and it's just going to keep lying there, rotting and stinking up the place. It's time to move on.

By the way, why don't you have a look at what the liberal base of your party might have to offer... why don't you include them in your "bipartisan efforts", eh?

[bluestate10]

56. Bipartisanship.

Obama will either turn out to be one of the greatest strategist of all times in holding out the bipartisan branch and letting republicans hang themselves, or he will be one of the biggest Neville Chamberlains in history. Sadly, his first two years and performance on the campaign trail during the midterms indicate the latter is more likely. I won't forgive Obama for leaving Russ Feingold to be defeated when it became obvious to Obama's bean counters that Feingold would likely lose and the loss embarrass Obama, my type of President would have fought to the bloody last second, then beyond that. After the historic setbacks, Obama turns around and gives a weak press conference.

Let's hope that Obama is using strategy and not being incredibly naive.

[Bluebear]

60. 'my type of President would have fought to the bloody last second'

You said it.

[ladjf]

58. It appears that Obama is a slow learner. nt

[Blue_In_AK]

61. I just have to say this

FUCK bipartisanship. We should be just as bipartisan with the Republicans now as they were with the Democrats from 2000 to 2008. I'm sick of this constant caving.

[Odin2005]

63. Insanity